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May 31, 2013

Rangers 7, Royals 2 (F)

ARLINGTON – Adrian Beltre had a four-hit night and homered,
Nelson Cruz also homered and the Texas Rangers went on to a 7-2 victory over
the Kansas City Royals to make a winner of Derek Holland, who won four times in May.

The Rangers have won 10 of their last 16, and still have the
best record in the American League.

After the Royals took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third
against Holland,
the Rangers responded by scoring four runs with two outs in the bottom half.
David Murphy and Lance Berkman had consecutive infield singles, and Beltre
followed with a run-scoring single.

Cruz then swatted his 13th homer of the season, a
three-run shot to left for a 4-1 lead against Royals starter Wade Davis.

The Royals pulled to within 4-2 in the top of the sixth, but
the Rangers answered again in the home half of the inning.

The first three batters reached in the inning, including a
double by A.J. Pierzynski off the top of the center-field wall. Leonys Martin
then drove in two runs with a double to center off Royals left-handed reliever
Bruce Chen, as the Rangers took a 6-2 lead.

Beltre added a solo shot in the seventh, his fourth hit of
the night. He has four four-hit games this season, tying Miguel Cabrera for the
major-league lead.

Holland
continued his strong season, allowing two runs (one earned) on eight hits with
one walk and eight strikeouts over seven innings. He is now 5-2 with a 2.81 ERA.

Tanner Scheppers worked the eighth, and Joe Nathan closed out the game in a non-save situation in the ninth. Scheppers and Nathan hadn't pitched since last Sunday in Seattle.